Torsten Stocker, a Partner at Monitor, recently commented on the acquisition of the UK breakfast cereal maker Weetabix by China’s Bright Foods in a Financial Times article.

Mike Kubzansky, a Partner at Monitor who specializes in market-based approaches to poverty, was quoted in an article in the Financial Times, called Development: ‘Model must make our products affordable’. The article discusses SC Johnson’s efforts to provide affordable monthly quality refills of insecticides and cleaning products to customers in developing countries through local farmers in a sustainable way.

The third PharmaAsia Summit to be held September 24-26 in Shanghai will feature experts discussing the strategic challenges and potential solutions leaders of biopharmaceutical companies confronting stalled growth. The conference will feature the release of an exclusive report, prepared by Elsevier, BayHelix, and Monitor Group, exploring how China could disrupt the existing innovation paradigm in the industry.

Joe Fuller, cofounder of Monitor, was a guest panelist on CNBC Asia recently in Singapore to discuss the topic: Awaiting Judgment Day; the implications for Asia of Europe’s permanent crisis.

Pedro Arboleda, a Partner and co-leader of the Regional Competitiveness practice, recently worked with Endeavor South Africa on a white paper entitled, The State of Entrepreneurship in South Africa — The Key Archetypes of an Entrepreneurial Culture. He also facilitated a breakaway session on the External Trigger Model, which is about fate, good and bad, and how local stakeholders can turn fate into an opportunity for greater and better entrepreneurship.

In early March, Sherry Turkle took the main stage at TED2012 and received an enthusiastic standing ovation for her insights into how today's society, with its constant digital interactions, needs to find comfort and appreciation in self reflection and solitude.

Ydir Visssers, a Partner at Monitor Group, speaks to Exame and says that the world is increasingly urban and that, in a very short time, the influence of mayors will increase.

On a day when the stock markets saw their biggest gains of 2012, book author Chris Meyer said future growth opportunities will come from emerging markets. Meyer, founder of the Monitor Talent, spoke about his book, Standing on the Sun: How the Explosion of Capitalism Abroad Will Change Business Everywhere, on the Lou Dobbs Tonight program on Fox Business.

The Oreo cookie turned 100 years old this month and The Financial Times reports that Kraft celebrated one of the world’s most successful brands by decorating landmarks in Shanghai with Oreo imagery and staging a fireworks show. The Oreo’s success in China showcases Kraft’s masterful adaptation of its cookie brand to local tastes, by changing its shape and baking flavors such as green tea ice cream. Kraft’s practices are also followed by other successful firms catering to the Chinese market, such as PepsiCo’s creating cucumber and blueberry potato chips, Torsten Stocker, a partner in Monitor’s China practice, told the newspaper.

McDonald’s Corp. plans a new advertising campaign emphasizing its quality offerings in the increasingly competitive fast-food market in China, The Wall Street Journal reported. McDonald’s seeks to make gains in a market dominated by Yum Brands. Monitor’s Torsten Stocker, an expert on the Chinese retail market, told the newspaper that Yum was one of the first restaurant chains to expand across China, gaining access to prime locations and smaller cities, insulating the company from a growing number of rivals.